Flight time comparator system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method operating on a computer system connected to one or more internal and external databases for statistical analysis of externally collected data of aircraft movements (AM Data) to develop business intelligence to understand, forecast and/or confirm aircraft transactions, market activity, usage patterns, industry trends, development of new business, products and procedures as well as verify the accuracy of invoices, flight records, flight/duty logs, flight time invoiced, airport enplanements/usage, geographic/in-state usage, regulatory/operational compliance and aircraft records when compared with AM Data combined with computed flight times.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/779,927, filed on Feb. 28, 2013 and issuing as U.S. Pat. No.10,297,160 and incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

This application generally relates to a system and method for theanalysis of aircraft flights, and more particularly relates to suchanalysis based upon externally collected data about aircraft movements(AM Data, as defined below).

Aircraft advisors/consultants have used flight computers to individuallycalculate the estimated flight times of an aircraft type to verifyflight time and performance. There is no system that has been designedto use multiple databases to conduct statistical analysis of externallycollected data of aircraft movements (AM Data) to develop businessintelligence to understand, forecast and/or confirm aircrafttransactions, market activity, usage patterns, development of newbusiness, products and procedures, industry trends, as well as verifythe accuracy of invoices, flight records, flight/duty logs, flight timeinvoiced, airport enplanements/usage, geographic/in-state usage,regulatory/operational compliance and aircraft records when comparedwith AM Data combined with computed flight times. It would be useful toprovide a means of solving one or more of these problems.

SUMMARY

Provided are a plurality of example embodiments, including, but notlimited to, a system and method for statistical analysis of externallycollected data of aircraft movements (AM Data) to develop businessintelligence to understand, forecast and/or confirm aircrafttransactions, market activity, usage patterns, development of newbusiness, industry trends, products and procedures as well as verify theaccuracy of invoices, flight records, flight/duty logs, flight timeinvoiced, airport enplanements/usage, geographic/in-state usage,regulatory/operational compliance and aircraft records when comparedwith AM Data combined with computed flight times.

Also provided is a method of using a computer system for verifyingaircraft flight information, said method comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing a user interface to said computer system for accepting        specific or proposed flight information about a flight for a        particular aircraft from a user;    -   retrieving aircraft information about the particular aircraft        from a first database;    -   retrieving geographical and/or weather information about a route        for the specific or proposed flight from a second database;    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        calculating derived flight information using said specific or        proposed flight information, said aircraft information, and said        geographical and/or weather information; and    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        generating a report utilizing said derived information, wherein        said report is output by said computer system.

Further provided is a method of using a computer system for verifyingaircraft flight information, said method comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing a user interface to said computer system for accepting        specific or proposed flight information about a flight for a        particular aircraft from a user;    -   inputting reported and/or projected flight information about the        flight;    -   retrieving historical information related to the specific or        proposed flight from a database;    -   retrieving aircraft information about the particular aircraft        from the database;    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        calculating derived flight information using said specific or        proposed flight information and said aircraft information;    -   reconciling said derived information with said reported and/or        projected flight information about the flight to identify        discrepancies, and wherein said report includes information        about said discrepancies; and    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        generating a report utilizing said derived information, wherein        said report is output by said computer system.

Still further provided is a method of using a computer system forverifying aircraft flight information, said method comprising the stepsof:

-   -   providing a user interface to said computer system for accepting        specific or proposed flight information about a flight for a        particular aircraft from a user;    -   inputting reported and/or projected flight information about the        flight;    -   retrieving historical information related to the specific or        proposed flight from a database;    -   retrieving aircraft information about the particular aircraft        from the database;    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        calculating derived flight information using said specific or        proposed flight information, said historical information, and        said aircraft information; and    -   using at least one computer of said computer system for        generating a report utilizing said derived information for        comparing with said reported and/or projected flight        information, wherein said report is output by said computer        system. Also provided are additional example embodiments, some,        but not all of which, are described hereinbelow in more detail.

Also provided are additional example embodiments, some, but not all ofwhich, are described hereinbelow in more detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the example embodiments described hereinwill become apparent to those skilled in the art to which thisdisclosure relates upon reading the following description, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the flow of data and processing of anexample system;

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an example hardware embodiment of theexample system;

FIGS. 2-9 show flow charts of various example queries to which thesystem can respond;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic of the climb performance of an exampleaircraft

FIG. 11 shows example Log entries and the comparisons made to the AMData and subsequent variations between the Flight Log as well as theroad nights, duty hours and duty days calculated based on AM Data;

FIG. 12 shows example comparisons of AM Data with invoices and chargesfrom a flight service provider;

FIG. 13 shows an example trip comparison with the same aircraft type &comparable aircraft types on the same trip;

FIG. 14 shows example Usage Pattern Variations;

FIG. 15 shows a schematic of an example geographic usage within SouthCarolina;

FIG. 15A shows an example table of In-State usage, In-state usage as apercentage of total annual usage and aircraft value;

FIG. 16 shows an example table showing example enplanements;

FIG. 17 shows an example of an invoice comparison table with AM Data forthe Same Aircraft Type and Similar Aircraft Type;

FIG. 18 shows a schematic example where the system uses logic toidentify required stops such as a fuel or technical stop; and

FIG. 19 shows a schematic example of an aircraft that was not incompliance with the regulations; the aircraft had two position reportsbelow the Instrument Landing System's minimum altitude.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Provided is a system and methodology for the analysis of externallycollected data about aircraft movements (AM Data). Provided is theglossary below for a better understanding of the terminology utilized indescribing this system and methodology.

Glossary

-   -   AM Data: AM Data includes, for example, externally collected        and/or stored data about aircraft movements including but not        limited to: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Air Traffic        Control (ATC), satellite global positioning system (GPS),        aircraft situation display to industry (ASDI), system wide        information management (SWIM), ground surveillance or any other        data sources for aircraft movement data (AM Data).    -   Flight Time Comparator (FTC): A system and methodology using,        for example, a software program developed to conduct statistical        analysis of externally collected and/or stored data of aircraft        movements (AM Data) to develop business intelligence to        understand, forecast and/or confirm aircraft transactions,        market activity, usage patterns, industry trends, development of        new business, products and procedures as well as verify the        accuracy of invoices, flight records, flight/duty logs, flight        time invoiced, airport enplanements/usage, geographic/in-state        usage, regulatory/operational compliance and aircraft records        when compared with AM Data combined with computed flight times.    -   ATC Data: This data is the record of actual flights taken as        tracked by and obtained from the FAA Air Traffic Control system        or any other method for tracking actual flights flown. ATC data        is an example of data that can be used as actual flight        information for evaluating and/or verifying reported flight        information using the system.    -   Target Trip: The specific flight under investigation, which may        be identified by a flight number, for example, identifying a        particular aircraft and/or particular flight source/destination.    -   Same Trip: Trip on the same route with like kind aircraft type        flown during the same season of any year. Since winds are        seasonal, a search during the same season of a different year        will be considered a Same Trip.    -   Target Aircraft: A specific aircraft (e.g., specific make and        model).    -   Fuel/Technical Stops: Intermediate stops before the intended        destination necessitated by regulation or aircraft performance.

Disclosed is at least one example embodiment of a Flight Time Comparator(FTC) method and system used to analyze AM Data, combined with relateddocuments such as aircraft flight plans and passenger loads, andaircraft information about performance and capabilities of anyparticular aircraft (such as might be obtained from the manufacturer),among others, as a verification of a reported flight time and otherparameters. These analyses would be used to verify reported aircraftinformation, which may include the information in aircraft flight logs,duty logs, pilot logs, invoices, aircraft records and/or flights over orwithin set geographic boundaries or time spent in certain geographiclocations or airports (thereby supporting verification of geographicalusage regulations, laws, or other requirements, such as appropriatepayment of regional taxes). The example system will also calculate(derive) the estimated flight time based on aircraft performance, suchas using algorithms combined with historic winds and other geographicand weather information. The example system will also check for aircraftinformation of similar flights of similar aircraft (e.g., Same Trip) forcomparison of flight times and aircraft performance and to compare andverify documentation and reported information. The example system willalso check for flight times of similar aircraft from nearby airports.The example system is designed to employ recorded or estimated (derived)flight times from available sources to verify, validate, substantiate orcorroborate reported information such as past flight times underinvestigation or to forecast flight times for future flights or to findpatterns in the data for business intelligence. The system can thusevaluate specific actual flights identified by specific flightinformation (e.g., a flight number, a flight category, flight date, or,e.g., a flight identified from a specific source airport to a specificdestination airport and using a specific aircraft, which might be over aspecific route), or it can evaluate proposed (hypothetical flights) forforecasting flights that might or maybe could occur.

The Flight Time Comparator (FTC) of an example system is implemented byusing one or more software programs executing on an example system 1having a hardware design as shown in FIG. 1A comprising system serversincluding collection and database servers 20, 22, and 24, connected to auser interface server 25 for providing employee interface 27 andoptionally providing client interface 29 (when providing clients withdirect access to the system), utilizing the external AM Data database 30and alternative database 33.

FIG. 1 provides a flow chart defining the primary functions of theprograms executing on the hardware of FIG. 1A, with the programsdesigned to implement the functions of FIG. 1, i.e., to statisticallyanalyze 10 the input data (including, but not limited to, using suchmethods as data mining, Bayesian, swarm theory, chaos theory,regression, multiple regression, t-tests, analysis of variance (anova),or multivariate analysis of variance (manova)). This analysis can beperformed on any form of externally collected data 5 providinginformation about aircraft movements (AM Data) such as but not limitedto: FAA, Air Traffic Control (ATC), satellite, global positioning system(GPS), aircraft situation display to industry (ASDI), system wideinformation management (SWIM), ground surveillance or any other datasources for AM Data. The FTC will also combine this data with any otherapplicable data 5 available (such as, but not limited to, passengerloads, aircraft performance data, airport data, navigational aids(navaids), approach and departure procedures, aircraft values, aircrafttransactions, market data, industry trends, geographical information(cities of origin, geographical areas flown over and durations, airportlocations, cities of destination, etc.), weather, and aviationprocedures) to understand, forecast and/or confirm patterns, performanceand usage/variations in usage of an aircraft, aircraft owner(s),aircraft type(s), categories or groups of aircraft or all aircraft. Theresulting actionable business intelligence 12 will be used in thedevelopment of new procedures, business development, trend analysis, andproduct development (such as but not limited to new aircraft andaviation equipment). The analytical engine 10 will provide flight timeconfirmation 13 and generate reports 15 including forecasts andcomparisons 14 and support for auditing activities 16. Such reports canbe provided in the form of web presentations served by the system 1,electronic reports (e.g., Acrobat), paper reports, or some otherformats.

The software for supporting implementing the methodology can be executedon the example system 1 servers and/or other computers comprising anysuitable computerized device comprising a processing component (e.g., aprocessor) and a computer readable medium may be utilized for providingthe example servers and remote terminals. Generally, a computer usableor computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, platform, apparatus,or device. The computer usable medium may include a propagated datasignal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, eitherin baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable programcode may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but notlimited to the Internet, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency(RF) or other means. The computer readable medium may comprise, forexample but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,database, or propagation medium. More specific examples of the computerreadable medium would include, but are not limited to, a computerdiskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory)which may be internal or external, permanent or removable, a compactdisc read-only memory (CDROM) or random access memory (CDRAM), or anyother tangible optical, electrical, magnetic, or other storage device;or storage found on transmission media such as those supporting theInternet or an intranet, including temporary cache memory.

The software is comprised of computer program code for carrying outoperations of the example embodiments (e.g., for providing theapplications used by the system servers) may be written by conventionalmeans using any computer language, including but not limited to, aninterpreted or event driven language such as BASIC, Lisp, VBA, orVBScript, or a GUI embodiment such as visual basic, a compiledprogramming language such as FORTRAN, COBOL, or Pascal, an objectoriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such as Java,JavaScript, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, Object Pascal, or the like, artificialintelligence languages such as Prolog, a real-time embedded languagesuch as Ada, or even more direct or simplified programming using ladderlogic, an Assembler language, or directly programming using anappropriate machine language. For an example system, the Cent OSoperating system and MSSQL and PostGRE SQL will be utilized. R will beused for data mining and statistical analysis

The software executed by the system 1 comprises computer programinstructions that are executed by being provided to (loaded in) anexecuting device or component, which can include a processor of ageneral purpose computer, a special purpose computer or controller, orother programmable data processing apparatus or component, such that theinstructions of the computer program, when executed, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. Hence, the computer program instructions areused to cause a series of operations to be performed on the executingdevice or component, or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus the steps for implementingthe functions/acts specified in this disclosure. These steps or acts maybe combined with operator or human implemented steps or acts and stepsor acts provided by other components or apparatuses in order to carryout any number of example embodiments of the invention.

The flowcharts and/or block diagrams and/or the example screen shotsprovided in the drawings illustrate example architecture, functionality,and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods andcomputer program products according to various example embodiments ofthe present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart orblock diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code thatmakes up the software, and thus which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). Itshould also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in thefigures.

For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executedsubstantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It willalso be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Some of the uses of the system and methodology include, but are notlimited to, using the FTC to generate output to further theunderstanding, forecasting, and/or confirm (derived or actual): aircraftperformance, aircraft comparisons, flight log entries, flight charges,usage pattern & pattern variations, industry trends, geographic/in-stateusage, invoices, fuel or technical stop requirements, enplanements,aircraft values and market data, and verify regulatory and otherprocedural compliance (such as compliance with FAA regulations,manufacturer procedures, airport procedures, maintenance procedures,etc.), among other uses. The system can use reported flight informationthat was reported by various personnel (pilots, maintenance personnel,managers, etc.) that can contain actual reported, recorded, or otherwisepreserved flight information (logs, travel reports, start/stop/layovertimes, etc.) some of which may or may not be accurate, and that could,in at least some cases, be falsified or otherwise may be erroneous, Thesystem can use projected flight information for a proposed orhypothetical flight(s) which is information like that of the reportedflight information that is hypothetical, estimated, historical, orotherwise not based on an actual, specific flight. This information canbe used to compare against corresponding information derived by thesystem to validate or invalidate the reported information, for example.The method could also be used to analyze usage trends such as longertrip or shorter trips becoming the norm to drive potential businessopportunities in representing aircraft owners, whose usage indicatesthey need larger and/or longer range aircraft or smaller and/or shorterrange aircraft.

The FTC, for additional verification of the AM Data; will also generateflight time estimates based upon internal algorithms and aircraftperformance while adjusting for historic winds and even other weatherphenomena. The flow charts of FIGS. 2-9, discussed below, are examplesof calculations that the system 1 provides utilizing the AM data anddata from the other internal and external databases to derive orotherwise calculate flight information for reporting to users of thesystem 1.

FIG. 2 shows the steps taken for the identification of specific flighttime information for the Target Trip in the AM Data on a specificallyidentified date and time for verification and further comparison. Inthis case, the initial query trip data for the flight time of a TargetTrip is input 201 to the system, the AM Data is accessed 202, and thesystem returns the flight time of the Target Trip 203.

FIG. 3 shows the steps taken to compare the flight time from the TargetAircraft with the flight time on the same route of the same aircrafttypes (make and model) and note any differences. In this case theinitial query trip data for the flight time of a Target Trip is input301 to the system, the AM Data is searched for the Same Trip 302, andthe system returns the flight times of a same aircraft type 303.

FIG. 4 shows the steps taken to compare the flight time from the TargetTrip with the flight time of similar trips (departure airport and/orarrival airport in close proximity to Target Aircraft departure airportand/or arrival airport) on the same aircraft type (make and model) andnote any differences. In this case the initial query trip data for theflight time of a Target Trip is input 401 to the system, the AM Data issearched for a similar trip 402, and the system returns the flight timeof a same aircraft type 403.

FIG. 5 shows the steps taken to compare the flight time from the TargetAircraft with the flight time of the Same Trip with an aircraft ofsimilar size and performance capabilities (competitive aircraft). Inthis case the initial query trip data for the flight time of a TargetTrip is input 501 to the system, the AM Data is searched for the SameTrip 502, and the system returns the flight time of a similar competitoraircraft type 503.

FIG. 6 shows the steps taken to compare the actual or reported flighttime from the Target Aircraft with the flight time of a similar trip(departure airport and/or arrival airport in close proximity to TargetAircraft departure airport and/or arrival airport) with an aircraft ofsimilar size and performance capabilities (competitive aircraft). Inthis case the initial query trip data for the flight time of a TargetTrip is input 601 to the system, the AM Data is searched for a similartrip 602, and the system returns the flight time of a similar competitoraircraft type 603.

FIG. 7 shows the steps taken to compare all reported and/or actual dataon flight times gathered in FIGS. 2-6 (i.e. flight time for sameaircraft on same flights, flight time for same aircraft on similarflights, flight time for different (competitor) aircraft compared toTarget Aircraft on Same Trips, and flight time for different(competitor) aircraft compared to Target Aircraft on similar flights),and highlight any statistically significant differences in the flighttimes. In this example case the database is searched 701, the AM Data iscompared and analyzed for the Same Trip 702, and the system returnsstatistical significant differences of flight times 703.

FIG. 8 shows the steps taken to compare all data on flight timesgathered in FIGS. 2-6 (i.e. flight time for same aircraft on sameflights, flight time for same aircraft on similar flights, flight timefor different (competitor) aircraft compared to Target Aircraft on SameTrips, and flight time for different (competitor) aircraft compared toTarget Aircraft on similar flights), and produce a listing of aircraftthat best suits client's needs based on this historical information. Inthis case, the database is searched 801, the AM Data and derivedhistorical data is compared and analyzed for comparison to clients'needs 802, and the system returns listing of best aircraft for clients'needs 803.

FIG. 9 shows the steps taken calculate the precise time aircraft spendin each geographic location (state or county) for auditing and reportingpurposes. In this case the AM Data is searched 901, the AM Data isanalyzed to determine specific aircraft exact geographic locations atspecific times 902, and the system returns listing of aircraft locationat specific times 903.

Aircraft Performance:

Shown in FIG. 10 is a representation of the AM Data, combined with anyother applicable data available, of the flight path of an aircraftdeparting a specific airport. This query will show how competitiveaircraft perform (such as the climb shown in this figure) within certainairspace restrictions. This will be used to understand if better climbperformance will be reduced or eliminated by Air Traffic Controllimitations.

The tables of FIGS. 11-14, 15A, and 16-17 described below, show examplecalculation results that can be used and reported by the system in thepractice of the disclosed methodology.

Flight Log Entries:

FIG. 11 shows a table with Flight Log entries and the comparisons madeto the AM Data to verify flight time, subsequent variations between theFlight Log and AM Data as well as the road nights, duty hours and dutydays calculated based on the AM Data.

Flight Charges:

As shown in FIG. 12, the FTC will compare the AM Data with invoicesbased on flight charges to find the Target Trip and analyze thevariances, if any.

Aircraft Comparisons:

As shown in FIG. 13, the analysis will include statistical operations tocompare same, similar or competitive aircraft types to validate (orinvalidate) the findings. The FTC will also analyze the same &comparable types on the Same Trip and similar trips for comparison.

Usage Patterns & Pattern Variations:

As shown in FIG. 14, a table representing partial results from theanalysis of travel patterns, airports used (or not used), regionsfrequented, and variations in these usage patterns is calculated. Thesepatterns will be combined with transactional data to forecast changes inownership among other things.

Geographic/In-State/Airport Usage:

As shown in FIGS. 15, and 15A, by way of a graphic representation (FIG.15) and a table (FIG. 15A) the flight time in and over a specificgeographic area, calendar days within the geographic area, value ofaircraft during the time in the geographic area, percentage of totalannual usage of the aircraft and ground time within a certain geographicarea, state or airport, such as within a state's boundaries. The graphicrepresentation of FIG. 15 could be provided in a report or other displayoutput by the system, where desired.

Enplanements:

As shown in FIG. 16, a table is calculated showing data concerning aspecific airports enplanements and passenger loads.

Invoices:

As shown in FIG. 17, a table with data used to compare invoices thatinvolve aircraft flight time and compare aircraft performance is alsocalculated.

Fuel or Technical Stop Requirements:

As shown in FIG. 18, a graphic illustration of the results of analysisis shown, with the graphic prepared utilizing logic that will identifyaircraft or aircraft types that are used on trips where the aircraft oraircraft type necessitated a fuel or technical stop to reach theintended destination.

Operational or Regulatory Requirements:

As shown in FIG. 19, a graphic illustration representing the result ofanalysis to identify aircraft that may or may not be flown withindefined requirements can be provided. The FTC's AM data will be combinedwith the data used by the FAA or other governing bodies, operators, oroperations to define aviation procedures such as, but not limited to,proposed approaches, arrivals, departures, missed approaches,un-stabilized approaches, descent rates, minimum or maximum altitudes,airspace restrictions, crossing restrictions, aircraft limitations,vertical navigation, airport restrictions, course deviations, militaryoperations areas and speed restrictions, obstacle clearance among otherrequirements and operating procedure adherence, and the system reportingcan be tailored to support such uses. This methodology can also be usedby manufacturers for product development and improvement purposes, andthe reporting can be further tailored to support such uses. Additionaldata will include topographical and man-made obstacles that arepertinent to aviation operations. The example shows an aircraft that isrequired by regulations or company policy to be flying between the twodashed lines but was confirmed to be below the required minimum altitudeprescribed for this approach to the runway. This would be an example ofa violation of regulations or operational procedures. Hence, the systemcan be used to support determining compliance with legal or regulatoryrequirements, and can support proceedings to determine such compliance.

Aircraft Market Activity:

The FTC, for example, will also use AM Data combined with any otherapplicable data available, such as, but not limited to, Market Data,Transaction History, system historical data (derived, actual, orproposed), Accident Data, Global Production, etc. to understand,forecast, determine and analyze industry trends and proposals, and/orconfirm the usage patterns of an aircraft, aircraft owner(s), aircrafttype(s), categories and groupings of aircraft. The analysis willinclude, but not be limited to, trip speed, climb, cruise, descent,routes taken, trip lengths, regions frequented, fuel or technical stops,travel patterns, airports used (or not used), ATC influence, andvariations in these usage patterns. The usage patterns will be analyzedand compared to historic/current patterns to forecast aircraft owners'activities such as but not limited to usage, transactions, marketactivity and aircraft values. This analysis will include statisticaloperations such as but not limited to data mining to validate thefindings and confirm any differences in flight patterns by aircraft,aircraft type(s) and aircraft categories to create forecasting models.

Usage Example

The Flight Time Comparator (FTC) is a software program or collection ofprograms, operating on associated computer hardware, designed tostatistically analyze (including, but not limited to, such methods asdata mining, Bayesian, swarm theory, chaos theory, regression, multipleregression, t-tests, analysis of variance (anova), or multivariateanalysis of variance (manova)) any form of AM Data such as but notlimited to: FAA, Air Traffic Control (ATC), satellite, globalpositioning system (GPS), aircraft situation display to industry (ASDI),system wide information management (SWIM), ground surveillance or anyother data sources for AM Data. The FTC will also combine this data withany other applicable data available (such as, but not limited to,passenger loads, aircraft performance data, airport data, navigationalaids (navaids), aircraft values, aircraft transactions, market data,weather, and aviation procedures) to understand, forecast and/or confirmpatterns, and determine trends, performance and usage/variations inusage of an aircraft, aircraft owner(s), aircraft type(s), categories orgroups of aircraft or all aircraft.

The system will also be used to calculate the precise time aircraftspend in both flight and on the ground in each geographic location (forexample state or county or airport) for auditing and reporting purposes.The system will determine if flights occurred during day time or nighttime hours, for example. The system will display the actual route offlight in both the vertical and horizontal plane, such as by usinggraphical representations that can be displayed or otherwise reported,to understand performance differences within the ATC system. The systemwill employ flight plan data, if available, for passenger loads orestimated passenger loads based on domestic segment fees submitted, orutilizing any other means of determining the number of passengersonboard. The system will also combine aircraft value data with aircraftowner data, including contact information, to derive the informationdesired.

The AM Data will be collected and can be stored locally by the system,where desired, to enable such data to be used to analyze aircraftperformance during an evaluation and verification process. The AM Datamay also be used to compare the specific Target Aircraft's performanceto an aircraft of like size and capabilities manufactured by a competingmanufacturer, to allow for practical comparisons of different aircraftfor evaluation by clients or even manufacturers, such as for new productdevelopment.

A first step of the data collection and analysis process can be theidentification of specific flight information for the Target Trip in theAM Data on a specifically identified date and time for verification andfurther comparison using the process shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2.

Target Trip Example: Identifying a Specific Aircraft that Flew theTarget Trip:

Initial Query: Target Trip departed Hanscom Field Airport (BED),Bedford, Mass. enroute to Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami at3:00 pm EDT on Oct. 12, 2012. The specific aircraft was a Citation VUltra. The FAA Registration Number may or may not be known.

Example Query Results (Calculated and Reported by the FTC)

-   -   NXXXX: Serial Number 560-XXXX Citation V Ultra departed (BED)        for MIA at 9:00 am and arrived 2 hours 50 minutes later at 11:50        am. (Rejected as Target Trip. This was the wrong time of day to        be used as the Target Trip);    -   NXXXX: Serial Number 560-XXXX Citation V Ultra departed (BED)        for MIA at 3:00 pm and arrived 2 hours 55 minutes later at 5:55        pm. (Accepted as the Target Trip); and    -   NXXXX: Serial Number 560-XXXX Citation V Ultra departed (BED)        for MIA at 6:00 pm and arrived 2 hours 48 minutes later at 8:48        pm. (Rejected as Target Trip: This was the wrong time of day to        be the Target Trip).

The second step of the data collection and analysis process is tocompare the flight time from the Target Aircraft with the flight time ofthe Same Trip on the same aircraft type (make and model) and note anydifferences. The FTC software accomplishes this by searching for theSame Trips conducted by the same aircraft type (make and model) tocompare those flight times with the Target Aircraft's flight time usingthe process shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3.

Example of a Same Trip on like aircraft: Hanscom Field Airport (BED),Bedford, Mass. to Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Fla. 13 Oct.2012, Citation V Ultra FAA Registration Number NXXXX and Citation VUltra FAA Registration Number NYYYY.

Example Query Results: Includes the Rejected Trips from First Query

-   -   NXXXX: Serial Number 560-XXXX Citation V Ultra departed (BED)        for MIA at 9:00 am and arrived 2 hours 50 minutes later at 11:50        am. (This was the wrong time of day to be the Target Trip).    -   NXXXX: Serial Number 560-XXXX Citation V Ultra departed (BED)        for MIA at 6:00 pm and arrived 2 hours 48 minutes later at 8:48        pm. (Rejected as Target trip: This was the wrong time of day to        be the Target Trip)

The third step of the data collection and analysis process is to comparethe flight time from the Target Trip with the flight time of similartrips (departure airport and/or arrival airport in close proximity toTarget Aircraft departure airport and/or arrival airport) on the sameaircraft type (make and model) and note any differences. The FTCsoftware accomplishes this by searching for the most similar trips onthe same aircraft type (make and model) to compare those flight timeswith the Target Aircraft's flight time using the process shown in theflow chart of FIG. 4.Target Trip: Flight time=2 hours 55 minutes.Identical trip: Mean flight time=2 hours 49 minutes or (2 hours 48minutes+2 hours 50 minutes divided by 2).

Since flight time varies due to many variables, the FTC system isdesigned to identify potential over-billings. In this example, there isa potential over-billing of 6 minutes or 1/10th of one hour.

Example of a similar trip on like aircraft: Hanscom Field Airport (BED),Bedford, Mass. to Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Fla. 13 Oct.2012, Citation V Ultra FAA Registration Number NXXXX and LoganInternational Aircraft (BOS), East Boston, Mass. to Miami InternationalAirport (MIA), Miami, Fla. 13 Oct. 2012, Citation V Ultra FAARegistration Number NYYYY.

The fourth step of the data collection and analysis process is tocompare the flight time from the Target Aircraft with the flight time ofthe Same Trip with an aircraft of similar size and performancecapabilities manufactured by a competing manufacturer. The FTC softwareaccomplishes this by searching for the Same Trips conducted by anaircraft of similar size and performance capabilities manufactured by acompeting manufacturer to compare those flight times with the TargetAircraft's flight time using the process shown in the flow chart of FIG.5.

Example of a Same Trip on similar aircraft: Hanscom Field Airport (BED),Bedford, Mass. to Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Fla. 13 Oct.2012, Citation V Ultra FAA Registration Number NXXXX and Learjet 40 FAARegistration Number NZZZZ.

The fifth step of the data collection and analysis process is to comparethe flight time of the Target Aircraft with the flight time of a similartrip (departure airport and/or arrival airport in close proximity toTarget Aircraft departure airport and/or arrival airport) with anaircraft of similar size and performance capabilities manufactured by acompeting manufacturer. The FTC software accomplishes this by searchingfor similar trips (departure airport and/or arrival airport in closeproximity to Target Aircraft departure airport and/or arrival airport)conducted by an aircraft of similar size and performance capabilitiesmanufactured by a competing manufacturer to compare those flight timeswith the Target Aircraft's flight time using the process shown in theflow chart of FIG. 6.

Example of a similar trip on similar aircraft: Hanscom Field Airport(BED), Bedford, Mass. to Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Fla.13 Oct. 2012, Citation V Ultra FAA Registration Number NXXXX and LoganInternational Aircraft (BOS), East Boston, Mass. to Miami InternationalAirport (MIA), Miami, Fla. 13 Oct. 2012, Learjet 40 FAA RegistrationNumber NZZZZ.

The sixth step of the data collection and analysis process is to compareall data on flight times gathered in steps one through five (i.e. flighttime for same aircraft on Same Trips, same aircraft on similar flights,different (competitor) aircraft compared to Target Aircraft on sameflights and different (competitor) aircraft compared to Target Aircrafton similar flights) and highlight any statistical significantdifferences in the flight times using the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7.

The seventh step of the data collection and analysis process is to inputall data gathered in steps one through six into a software analysisprogram that would take such data and compare same to a client's statedneeds to determine the best aircraft type, make and model to comply withsuch stated needs using the process shown in the flow chart of FIG. 8.

The eighth step of the data collection and analysis process is to inputall data gathered in steps two through six into a software analysisprogram that would compute the specific geographic location of theaircraft during a specific time period using the process shown in theflow chart of FIG. 9.

Finally, all of any of the calculated (derived) information and otherinformation used by the system can be preserved in a database forpreserving historical information that can be used for the trend andmarket analysis, among others, and for determining desiredmodifications, improvements, and other updates to routes, aircraft,airports, etc. based on the historical information and determinedtrends.

Many other example embodiments can be provided through variouscombinations of the above described features. Although the embodimentsdescribed hereinabove use specific examples and alternatives, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various additionalalternatives may be used and equivalents may be substituted for elementsand/or steps described herein, without necessarily deviating from theintended scope of the application. Modifications may be necessary toadapt the embodiments to a particular situation or to particular needswithout departing from the intended scope of the application. It isintended that the application not be limited to the particular exampleimplementations and example embodiments described herein, but that theclaims be given their broadest reasonable interpretation to cover allnovel and non-obvious embodiments, literal or equivalent, disclosed ornot, covered thereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of using a computer system comprising atleast one computer and a storage device for storing a program forexecuting on said computer system for verifying reported or estimatedaircraft flight information, said method comprising the steps of:receiving aircraft information about a plurality of different aircraftfrom one or more external entities for storing in an aircraftinformation database configured to store information about the pluralityof different aircraft; receiving flight information about a plurality ofdifferent flights for storing in a flight information database; thecomputer system executing instructions in said program to provide a userinterface to said computer system for a user for accepting a particularaircraft from the plurality of aircraft; the computer system executinginstructions in said program to provide another user interface to saidcomputer system for the user for accepting particular flight informationabout one of the different flights about an actual or proposed currentflight along a route for the particular aircraft; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to retrieve the aircraftinformation about the particular aircraft from the aircraft informationdatabase; the computer system executing instructions in said program toretrieve information about the current flight; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to retrieve the current flightinformation from the flight information database; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to calculate verificationinformation for the current flight utilizing the retrieved currentflight information about the current flight and utilizing the retrievedaircraft information; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to generate a report utilizing said verification informationconfigured to verify the actual or proposed flight for the particularaircraft, wherein said report is provided as an output from saidcomputer system configured to communicate the verified actual orproposed flight in a manner viewable by the user.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein said information about the current flight includesgeographical information about the route of the current flight.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said information about the current flightincludes weather information about the route of the current flight. 4.The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to retrieve previous flightinformation about flights of other aircraft similar to the particularaircraft along the route, wherein said calculated verificationinformation is calculated using said previous flight information, andfurther wherein the report utilizing said verification informationconfigured to verify the actual or proposed flight for the particularaircraft includes identification of discrepancies in information aboutthe current flight.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said informationabout the current flight includes weather information about the routeand also includes geographical information about the route of thecurrent flight.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the report utilizingsaid verification information also includes information aboutdiscrepancies regarding at least one of the previous flights.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the report utilizing said verificationinformation includes identification of any discrepancies in theinformation reported about the current flight.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the report utilizing said verification information includesinformation about flight time(s) for the current flight over the routeof the current flight.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reportutilizing said verification information includes predictions of flightinformation for future flights.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thereport utilizing said verification information includes informationabout discrepancies in one or more logs reported regarding the currentflight.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said information about thecurrent flight includes standard operating procedures pertinent for thecurrent flight.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said informationabout the current flight includes regulations pertinent to the currentflight.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said information about thecurrent flight includes data generated during the current flight aboutthe current flight.
 14. A method of using a computer system comprisingat least one computer and a storage device for storing a program forexecuting on said computer system for verifying reported or estimatedaircraft flight information, said method comprising the steps of:receiving aircraft information about a plurality of different aircraftfrom one or more external entities for storing in an aircraftinformation database configured to store information about the pluralityof different aircraft; receiving flight information about a currentfight including geographical and/or weather information along a routefor the current flight; the computer system executing instructions insaid program to provide a user interface to said computer system for auser for accepting a particular aircraft from the plurality of aircraft;the computer system executing instructions in said program to provideanother user interface to said computer system for the user foraccepting current flight information about an actual or proposed currentflight along a route for the particular aircraft; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to retrieve the aircraftinformation about the particular aircraft from the aircraft informationdatabase; the computer system executing instructions in said program toretrieve the flight information about the current flight including thegeographical and/or weather information about the route for the currentflight; the computer system executing instructions in said program tocalculate verification information for the current flight utilizing theretrieved flight information about the current flight including thegeographical and/or weather information, and utilizing the retrievedaircraft information of the particular aircraft; and the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to generate a report utilizingsaid verification information configured to verify the actual orproposed flight for the particular aircraft, wherein said report isprovided as an output from said computer system configured tocommunicate the verified actual or proposed flight for the particularflight in a manner viewable by the user.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising the step of the computer system executinginstructions in said program to retrieve previous flight informationabout flights of other aircraft similar to the particular aircraft alongthe route, wherein said calculated verification information iscalculated using said previous flight information, and further whereinthe report utilizing said verification information includesidentification of any discrepancies in the information reported aboutthe current flight.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the reportutilizing said verification information includes information aboutdiscrepancies reported regarding the current flight and/or informationabout discrepancies regarding at least one of the previous flights. 17.The method of claim 14, wherein the report utilizing said verificationinformation includes identification of discrepancies in the informationreported about the current flight.
 18. The method of claim 14, whereinthe report utilizing said verification information includes informationabout flight time(s) for the current flight over the route of thecurrent flight.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the report utilizingsaid verification information includes information about discrepanciesin one or more logs reported regarding the current flight.
 20. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the report utilizing said verificationinformation includes predictions of flight information for futureflights.
 21. The method of claim 14, wherein said retrieved informationabout the current flight includes standard operating procedurespertinent for the current flight.
 22. The method of claim 14, whereinsaid retrieved information about the current flight includes regulationspertinent to the current flight.
 23. The method of claim 14, whereinsaid retrieved information about the current flight includes datagenerated during the current flight about the current flight.
 24. Amethod of using a computer system comprising at least one computer and astorage device for storing a program for executing on said computersystem for verifying reported or estimated aircraft flight information,said method comprising the steps of: receiving aircraft informationabout a plurality of different aircraft from one or more externalentities for storing in an aircraft information database configured tostore information about the plurality of different aircraft; receivingflight information about a current fight including geographical and/orweather information along a route for the current flight and alsoincluding standard operating procedures and/or regulations pertinent tothe current flight; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to provide a user interface to said computer system for a userfor accepting a particular aircraft from the plurality of aircraft; thecomputer system executing instructions in said program to provideanother user interface to said computer system for the user foraccepting current flight information about an actual or proposed currentflight along the route for the particular aircraft; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to retrieve aircraft informationabout the particular aircraft from the aircraft information database;the computer system executing instructions in said program to retrievethe geographical and/or weather information about the route for thecurrent flight; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to retrieve information about the current flight including thestandard operating procedures and/or regulations pertinent to thecurrent flight; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to calculate verification information for the route for thecurrent flight utilizing the retrieved geographical and/or weatherinformation and utilizing the retrieved aircraft information as comparedto the information about the current flight; and the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to generate a report utilizingsaid verification information configured to verify the actual orproposed flight for the particular aircraft, said report includingidentification of discrepancies in the information reported about thecurrent flight, wherein said report is provided as an output from saidcomputer system configured to communicate the discrepancies about thecurrent flight in a manner viewable by the user.
 25. The method of claim24, further comprising the step of the computer system executinginstructions in said program to retrieve previous flight informationabout flights of other aircraft similar to the particular aircraft alongthe route, wherein said calculated verification information iscalculated using said previous flight information.
 26. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the report utilizing said verification informationincludes information about discrepancies reported regarding the currentflight and/or information about discrepancies regarding at least one ofthe previous flights.
 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the reportutilizing said verification information includes information aboutflight time(s) for the current flight over the route.
 28. The method ofclaim 24, wherein the report utilizing said verification informationincludes information about discrepancies in one or more logs reportedregarding the current flight.
 29. The method of claim 24, wherein thereport utilizing said verification information includes predictions offlight information for future flights.
 30. The method of claim 29,wherein said retrieved information about the current flight includesdata generated during the current flight about aircraft movementsoccurring during the current flight.
 31. A method of using a computersystem comprising at least one computer and a storage device for storinga program for executing on said computer system for verifying reportedor estimated aircraft flight information, said method comprising thesteps of: receiving aircraft information about a plurality of differentaircraft from one or more external entities for storing in an aircraftinformation database configured to store information about the pluralityof different aircraft; receiving flight information about a currentfight including geographical information along a route for the currentflight and also including standard operating procedures and/orregulations pertinent to the current flight; the computer systemexecuting instructions in said program to provide a user interface tosaid computer system for a user for accepting a particular aircraft fromthe plurality of aircraft the computer system executing instructions insaid program to provide another user interface to said computer systemfor the user for accepting current flight information from the userabout an actual or proposed current flight along a route for theparticular aircraft; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to retrieve the aircraft information about the particularaircraft; the computer system executing instructions in said program toretrieve the geographical information about the route for the currentflight; generating data about aircraft movements of the particularaircraft from externally collected data; the computer system executinginstructions in said program to retrieve the information about thecurrent flight including standard operating procedures and/orregulations pertinent to the current flight, and also including the datagenerated about aircraft movements of the particular aircraft; thecomputer system executing instructions in said program to calculateverification information for the route for the current flight utilizingthe retrieved geographical information and utilizing the retrievedaircraft information as compared to the retrieved information about thecurrent flight, wherein said calculating utilizes one or morestatistical methods; the computer system executing instructions in saidprogram to identify discrepancies in the information about the currentflight, wherein said discrepancies include discrepancies about flighttime(s) and/or log entries and/or violations in the regulations and/orcurrent operating procedures for the current flight over the route; andthe computer system executing instructions in said program to generate areport utilizing said verification information configured to verify theactual or proposed flight for the particular aircraft, said reportincluding the identified discrepancies in the information about thecurrent flight, wherein said report is provided as an output from saidcomputer system configured to communicate the discrepancies about thecurrent flight in a manner viewable by the user.
 32. The method of claim31, further comprising the step of the computer system executinginstructions in said program to retrieve previous flight informationabout flights of other aircraft similar to the particular aircraft alongthe route, wherein said calculated verification information iscalculated using said previous flight information, and wherein saidreport also includes information about discrepancies regarding at leastone of the previous flights.